


To Find Happily Ever After

by MultiVerSonalityDisorder



Category: 07-Ghost
Genre: Adventure, Deceipt, Drama, Other, Romance, To Find Happily Ever After, doll - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-03-14 14:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3413660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MultiVerSonalityDisorder/pseuds/MultiVerSonalityDisorder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teito envisions a young girl promising to return to him everything and everyone who has ever been taken from him. He meets the girl who seems different from in his dream, and she begs to join him to the 1st District. Who is she? What does she want?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Naomi

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first 07-Ghost fan fiction. I warn you it will start out pretty crappy but it will get better I promise. I do not own anything but Naomi.

_"Agree, Teito. If you agree to this pact everything may be returned to you. Just. Say. Yes."_

"No!" the brunette shouted springing up into a sitting position; eyes flying open too wide for comfort. On his disheveled bed he heaved and panted, cold sweat dripping down every crevice of his body. Almost absentmindedly, his emerald eyes scanned the room, alight by the sun flooding in from the windows, and he realized he was alone. "Frau?" No response. "Frau?" Teito allowed another moment to go by before he shot out of bed and ran to the door, throwing it open, "Frau?"

Teito stared down the hall, all doors lined up closed leaving the space bare. He cringed and an ominous shudder ran down his spine as he flew down the hall, small feet leaving heavy panicked thumps on the wooden floorboards. “Frau!” he called out the blonde’s name once more, several times more, brows furrowing in his anxiety and tears just about to fall from the corners of his eyes until, as he turned the corner at the end of the hall, he bumped into something hard, forcing him to bounce back and as he almost fell to the ground a large hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him close.

"Teito?" a deep voice said his name in question as sapphire eyes scanned the boy’s desperate face. "Teito, what’s wrong? What happened?"

The young boy opened his eyes, peeking up at the voice, “Frau?”

"Yes, it’s me, Teito," the blonde nodded as he helped the teen stand up straight, holding him by his shoulders. "Now, what’s wrong? Were you threatened? Attacked?"

Teito shook his head, “No. It was…a dream.”

"Eh?" Frau’s face fell, all concern he had vanished at the younger’s inability to shrug off a few nightmares.

Hearing nothing from the other, Teito looked up, “It was a girl-“

"A girl?" Frau laughed and pat the boy on the back with a sneer. "You’re finally getting  _those_  dreams, huh?”

"E-Eh?" Teito flushed and his worried expression turned to a glare. "No! That’s not-!"

"It may seem scary at first," the elder continued as he placed an arm around Teito’s shoulders and led him back to their room, "but trust me, you’ll learn to accept them easily with time. It’s all part of li-"

"Idiot!" Teito shoved at the bishop. "Never mind! Forget it!"

Peeking down at the short male, Frau just grinned, “All right. If you do, too.”

Teito paused, looking up at the man curiously, emerald meeting sapphire until one glanced away shyly. “So, where were you?” he muttered his query, following the blonde into the room of the inn that they were staying at.

Frau, who had been fully dressed in his traveling attire, opened the door, allowing Teito to enter first before he did the same, closing the door behind him. “I woke up a bit early so I thought I would look around,” he answered simply.

"Ah," Teito nodded, eyes falling down as he grabbed his normal daily attire as a bishop-apprentice. He was silent and solemn, which drove Frau to frown and muss up the boy’s hair.

"Hey, damn brat, what did I say about forgetting it?" the blonde warned.

Pulling away from Frau, the brunette looked up, seeming miffed before sighing, “Right, I’m sorry.”

"Better be," Frau crossed his arms and sat on his bed. "Now, go get changed so we can head out. We need to gather some supplies."

Teito’s brows rose in curiosity as he gathered his day clothes and made his way towards the small restroom their bedroom held, “What supplies?”

"Well, we still have a bit of money for food and so, I thought, what the hell," the blonde shrugged in response, falling back with a loud  _flop!_  with his hands folded like a pillow beneath his head.

A scoff was heard from the bathroom, “You just want to see if any of those magazines are lying around!”

"Hey, hey, hey!" Frau shot up with a glare. "For one, magazines like that wouldn’t be just lying around the marketplace! For two, that’s rude to assume!"

"Uh huh," Teito rolled his eyes at the mirror, adjusting his pants with a sigh.

Silence reigned in the room. Frau stared silently at the bathroom entrance before laying back down and staring at the ceiling. “So,” the blonde huffed in thought, “tell me about this girl.”

"Huh?" Teito peeked out of the bathroom with a raised brow.

"The girl in your dream."

"You told me to forget," the brunette scowled before stepping back into the bathroom fully.

"The dream," Frau corrected. "I said forget about the dream. Not to forget about the girl. Now, tell me! What did she look like?"

Teito shook his head as he stepped back into the room straightening his right sleeve, “I’m not telling.”

Again, Frau shot up with a glare, “What? How could you?”

"I. Don’t. Want. To," Teito paused on each word for emphasis.

Frau crossed his arms, pushing off the bed and closed his eyes with a sigh, “Really, you are just a damn brat.”

"Says the pervy Bishop," the younger muttered, only to be smacked upside the head anyway and yelping from the pain. "Hey!"

The blonde chucked a thumb over his shoulder and towards the door with a look of indifference on his features, “You done? Let’s get going.”

 

* * *

“ _Here’s some of the things we need. You go to the market and get them while I look into a small rumor. I’ll come get you in half an hour.”_

That’s what the bishop had said as he shoved the small list into Teito’s hand and some money into the boy’s pocket. Here the brunette mumbled, grumbled as he followed the dirt road from the inn. Frau never mentioned anything about a rumor or that they were even looking for one earlier. Ah, for all he knew the blonde was lying and looking into some brothel. A small “burupya~” caught his attention and Teito looked at his left shoulder where small Mikage was smiling and nuzzling his neck. Teito chuckled and pet his reincarnated friend, smiling softly, however his eyes were narrowed slightly as he was reminded of his dream from last night.

_Your friend, Mikage? Your father. Your uncle. Your whole Kingdom. I could give you back everything that you lost, young prince._

The brunette shook his head, “It was just a dream. Right, Mikage?” Another “Burupya~” trilled and Teito grinned, calming himself as he made his way down to the heart of the little town they stopped in. Though they practically had no money aside from spending it on inns and such, Teito supposed that Frau had some pocket change and wanted to use it to buy some food, assuming that Frau was thinking of staying a night or two on the road instead of in an inn.

"Bread" was the first thing on the list. Green eyes looked around the market place, trying to locate any place that could possibly sell bread. There weren’t many people around in general, it must have been a slow day, or maybe the real rush of customers didn’t happen until later in the evening? Teito wasn’t really bothered by it nor was he concerned as he suddenly spotted an elderly man at a wooden stand, much like the others with the classic gray fabric acting as a ceiling. Teito walked over, somewhat shyly, with a small smile as he approached the small stoutly man.

"Uh, excuse me, Sir," the brunette bowed his head and the balding gray-haired male looked up with squinting eyes.

"You want bread, m’boy?" he asked with a grin and a wheezing laugh.

Teito nodded, “Yes Sir.”

"How much?"

"Uh," Teito looked down at the list. Half a loaf. "Um, half, Sir."

"Half of what?"

"A loaf Sir."

The man nodded with a laugh turning around and grabbing a loaf before glancing around, probably for the knife, “You sure are a polite young man.”

"Um…" Teito bowed his head with a blush. "Thank you…Sir."

"You traveling?" the man questioned in good nature as he finally found his knife on a shelf below, setting to work on cutting the loaf. "We don’t have that many well-mannered young men around here."

"Uh-well-ah!" something bumped harshly into Teito from the side. Or rather, not something, more like someone. When Teito looked up it was a quick glance of a young girl. In a flash, he heard a, "I’m sorry!" from a blur of violet that rushed by him. Emerald eyes widened and turned to the other side of their owner to the direction of where the said blur was heading. The young girl seemed…familiar…

"Here you go," the elderly man handed out the half a loaf wrapped up in a white cloth.

"Oh!" Teito grabbed it and dug into his pocket, grabbing most of the change before handing it to the shopkeeper. "Thank you!" He looked back to where the girl was just to see her turn the corner out of the marketplace. The brunette quickly followed her, heart racing as he felt as though he saw that girl before. Violet hair, he was sure it was violet colored.

As he turned the corner he was able to catch her heading towards the west exit of the town. He sped up, legs practically flying much like this morning as he shouted out to her. “Wait! Hey! Miss! Wait!”

The girl didn’t seem to hear him. In fact, she seemed to be running even faster, making Teito’s heart beat even more rapidly as he quickened his pace. “Wait! Please! Please wait!”

Suddenly, the girl turned the corner into a small tight alley, so sharply that Teito had to grab onto the wall to make sure he didn’t pass it. He paused however as he saw that it was a dead end. The girl was running all the way to the end, before slowing down and stopping, facing the wall and not moving. The young brunette felt a sudden chill shoot down his spine as he tried to catch his breath, walking towards her without hesitation.

"Excuse me," he called out once more, sounding less desperate as he finally caught her. Though, as he neared her, she turned to fully face him and his eyes widened, pupils dilating. Curly violet hair that barely touched her shoulders, piercing blue-violet eyes, a black dress with long sleeves that ended at her knees, a small coat-like piece on her torso that matched, gold lined the edges and buttons as well as her collar. She was the exact same.  _Exact same_. As the girl in his dream.

"Hello," she spoke, seeming completely fine and unfazed after the marathon that the two had recently ran.

"You…" Teito choked on the words he wanted to say. Her voice was even the same.

"I am Naomi," she stated. "Who are you? Why are you following me?"

"Huh?" green eyes seemed calmed by that question, the young boy’s shoulders drooping from their strained erected states.

"You were following me," Naomi restated. "Why?"

"Uh…I just…you…You looked like someone I know…er, someone I’ve seen before."

Here, Naomi sighed, rolling her eyes as well, “Listen, Kid-“

“‘K-Kid’? How old do you think I am?”

Naomi stared, cocking her head to the side in thought, “Ten?”

Teito stomped his foot, “I’m fourteen!”

Naomi seemed startled at the thought before giggling, “Really?”

"Yes!"

"Hm…well, I apologize. Anyway, I already have a boyfriend, and though I do go for older guys you are too young for me."

"W-What? What are you talking about?"

Naomi crossed her arms, “That pick up line was pathetic, in all honesty. And, two years older is way too young for me.”

"Y-You’re twelve?"

"Yup," the violet-haired girl giggled once more before winking and sticking out her tongue teasingly, "and my boyfriend is, like, thirty or something."

Teito’s jaw dropped entirely. No, this was not the girl. No matter how much they looked alike, sounded the same, this could not be the same girl from his dream. She was so cold, so sinister and seductive. This girl, however, though at first she seemed to be cold, she’s actually just a stubborn brat. He shook himself from his stupor, “Look, I’m sorry but, this is all just a misunderstanding.”

"Hm?" Naomi’s smile fell as she stared blankly at Teito. "What is?"

"I-I wasn’t trying to pick you up. I honestly thought you were someone else. I’m sorry for scaring you."

Naomi was silent, staring at the other intensely before her eyes became fixated on something else and walked over towards the brunette. Teito looked to see she was interested in Mikage who was staring back at her just as intensely. The blue-eyed girl stood there right in front of the green-eyed boy before petting the pink creature with a small smile. “How sad,” she whispered.

"Huh?" Teito looked back at Naomi in question.

"This is your friend?"

"Um, yes, this is Mikage."

She smiled, “What a nice name. It makes me think of my boyfriend. I really miss him. Hey, are you a traveler?”

"Uh, y-yes?"

Naomi smiled brightly, “I have an idea! If you take me to where my boyfriend is I’ll do something special for you!”

"W-What?"

"He lives in the 1st District! Please take me!"

**-**


	2. One District, One Way

No matter how hard he tried, Teito just couldn't shake the young girl off of him. She followed him relentlessly with pleas and begging puppy eyes. The young brunette couldn't bring himself to buy anything else that Frau told him to; the stares he was getting by just walking with this strange girl were enough to dissuade him. He was left with no other choice but to return to the inn. As Teito sat outside of the old shelter, he suffered incessant whining from the violet-haired girl. The only moment it ceased was when Mikage jumped to her lap, and she grew quiet as she pet him tenderly. Watching this interaction, Teito wondered why Naomi acted the way she did with Mikage. Perhaps she was just an animal lover? He wasn't entirely sure, having known the girl for only an hour or two and barely exchanging a word since she first began to beg for a ride to the first district. He sighed. He'd just let Frau handle it.

"Hey, Brat," the blonde seemed to pop his head out of nowhere, startling Teito to jump slightly. Speak of the devil. Frau frowned, placing his hands on his hips. "What's your problem?" His eyes fell to the violet-haired girl beside the young brunette. "And, who's this?"

"Erm, this is…" emerald eyes glanced towards the younger child who, at the mention of her presence, jumped to her feet with a giddy smile, Mikage cradled comfortably in her arms.

"My name is Naomi!" she did a slight curtsey towards the blue-eyed man. "Are you Teito's friend?"

Frau scoffed, "More like his babysitter."

"Hey!" Teito snapped, jumping to his feet, only coaxing out a chuckle from the tall blonde.

"I'm just joking, kid, so relax," the bishop stated with a smile before once more turning his attention towards the girl. "Naomi, huh? And, what are you doing so attached to this kid?"

"Ah! Teito told me that you two are travelling!" Naomi explained with bright eyes that almost burned Frau's. "I really want to leave here! I need to go to the first district! Will you please take me! I promise I won't be a burden!"

The bishop was, to say the least, a little stunned by the request. He sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck, "Ah, well, you see, it's not so much about you being a burden as much as you'd be in quite a bit of danger as we neared it. Besides, won't your parents be wondering where you are? You can't just suddenly run off with two older males that are complete strangers, can you?"

"Oh, there won't be any need for worry like that!" Naomi insisted. "I have no parents that would be concerned by such a thing. I trust you both enough. You seem like good people."

"There's also cost," Frau added. "We can barely make it on just me and the brat. I don't think we'd really be able to take care of you properly."

"I have money!" Naomi pat a pocket in her coat and it made a subtle chime. "I can pay for myself and even the both of you if I need to."

"Well, why do you want to head over to the first district?"

Flushed cheeks took over Naomi. She suddenly became tiny and shy. She played with Mikage's ears as she swayed side-to-side. "You see, my boyfriend is there," she said. "He's waiting for me. I need to go see him. No one really goes by through here, so it's hard for me to find the opportunity to leave. Please. I need to see him. I…really miss him."

Frau was uncouth, but he wasn't stupid. There was no way that a child with such prominent clothing, and a more than suitable amount of money could be without some kind of guardian. If she really could pay for the three of them, it would really be a great help, and he and Teito were already on their way to the first district anyway. But, the thought of Ayanami and the military, it was so dangerous and risky. He couldn't bring a child out there, unprepared and unguarded. He certainly couldn't bring her out there without the consent of her guardians.

Once again, the bishop sighed, "Sorry, kid, but we can't."

Naomi's face fell, drastically, "Wha-! But-! Why not?" She threw teary eyes up at the blonde as she cried out, "I have money! I'll be careful! I'll do my best to stay out of your way and be quiet! Please! Please let me go!"

Frau shook his head, "Where we're going is no place for you. Please understand."

"But-!"

Burupya~! Chomp!

Everything in existence froze as Mikage had jumped from the young girl's arms and bit at Frau's shoulder, gnawing away.

One moment passed.

Then, another.

And, another.

"Gah?! You little-! Hey! Get off of me!" Frau screeched, trying to pull Mikage off of him, but the little dragon was clinging on as tightly as he could.

Teito jumped in, trying to take a hold of Mikage, "Frau! Hey! Don't hurt him!"

"He's the one trying to hurt me!"

"Well, it's your own fault!"

"I didn't do anything!"

It was true, Frau was being as polite as it was possible for Frau to be as he tried to deal with Naomi. He didn't raise his voice, or make any rude comments; which would usually cause Mikage to jump up and try to protect the one who was receiving the brunt of it all; usually Teito. The brunette couldn't fathom as to why Mikage did what he did. He couldn't understand why he was so fond, or even protective, of Naomi. It didn't make any sense at all.

Just as Teito removed Mikage from Frau's body, he held the tiny being in his arms comfortingly; allowing his friend to nuzzle into his chest. The teen looked over, and Naomi was gone. Teito felt a chill through out his system and made to run but froze as Frau's voice sneaked into his ears.

"Leave her," he said. "If you go looking for her, it'll give the wrong message."

Teito frowned, not feeling comfortable with leaving a girl to fend for herself, but decided that Frau was right. However, it couldn't remove the strange feeling that was settling in his stomach.

**-**


	3. Finding Heart

After the excitement from the morning, Frau didn't bother with sending Teito out to retrieve the rest of the items that were needed. The bread would have to be good enough, lest the brunette have to run into the violet-haired girl. The two set out, hitting the road once again, shooting through woods and snow.

It seemed like no time at all when the day had begun to wane. It was settled that they would rest for a bit before continuing. Teito worked on the fire as Frau looked around, scanning the area. The brunette wasn't worried a bit, for it seemed unlikely that anyone who would be a threat to them would be dawdling in the woods, in the snow, at a time like this. But, Frau's concerned features did bother him a tad.

"Is there something wrong?"

The blonde shook his head, "Something doesn't really feel right. It could just be my imagination."

"Hmmm…" Teito let out a sigh before perking up. The fire had been kindled, and he felt a new sudden urge. He stood and made his way towards the trees.

"Where are you going, brat?" the bishop called out.

The blonde didn't miss the pink that speckled the teen's cheeks. "To get some privacy!" Frau gave a small chuckle as he looked down at Mikage who was curled by the fire.

"Your friend really is a handful, isn't he?"

There was one thing that Teito simply had to do: Urinate. Badly. He snuck into a thick part of the woods, looking around to make sure he wasn't completely out of Frau's sight, but as well as giving himself enough privacy without having to suffer any type of teasing from the old pervert. He gave one more sweep of his eyes and just as he was about to untuck himself, he heard the snap of a twig, jolting his senses and raising his guard. "Who's there?" he shouted.

"Oh! Teito!" a voice giggled, and emerald eyes grew when, from behind a large tree, Naomi appeared with a smile on her face.

"N-Naomi?!" Teito gasped, looking around frantically for a moment before resettling his eyes on her. "W-What are you doing here?"

The violet-haired blue-eyed girl just smiled brightly, walking over to Teito until they were nothing more than a foot apart, "I came to join you two on your way to the first district, of course. I thought I already made that clear."

"But, we said we couldn't…and we left and…how…" Emerald eyes were blinking wide. "How did you get here?!"

"Ah, I guess you could say I used zaiphon."

"Z-Zaiphon?!" Teito couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had never known someone to use zaiphon to travel such a distance in the cold before. Especially a twelve year old girl. The fact that she was even a zaiphon user was a complete and utter shock. It sounded farfetched.

Fingers coming up to sweep hair over her ears, Naomi released a giggle as she nodded, "You look surprised."

"W-Well…I…" the brunette looked around once more before moving a bit to glance at the far off camp. "Well, I guess…you should come to the fire then. Keep warm…"

"Oh, thank you, Teito! Thank you!" the violet-haired girl grabbed his hand, Teito's cheeks turning a bit pink as the two stared at the other.

"Eh?"

"Aren't you going to show me where it is?"

The feeling stirring inside of Teito's lower half was bothering him, the feeling of needing to burst was coming upon him and he quickly nodded in silence, taking long rushed strides and dragging the girl along; scurrying behind him as fast as she could. When the two arrived, Frau rose a brow, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What's this?" he questioned out loud.

However, Teito had no time to explain, he muttered a quick "I'll be back" and dashed back to the trees, leaving Naomi to stand there curiously watching him before she was called to by the blonde man. "I'm sorry?" she replied, seeming as though in a bit of a happy daze.

"What are you doing here, Naomi? You should be back at home."

"I told you, I really need to go see my boyfriend in the first district," she explained. "So, I used my zaiphon to follow you two." Frau silenced, making Naomi laugh, "What, you don't believe me?"

"To be honest? No," the bishop shook his head, sitting down on a log. "Either way, it doesn't change the fact that you have to go back."

"No!" she shouted, the snow flying in a frenzy, a force bursting about her for a moment, her hair lifting and dress, as well, a bit as she stamped her foot, words encircling her for even the most sliver of seconds, the fire going out instantly. "I will  _not_  go back!"

Frau seemed unfazed, "Naomi, can you even control your zaiphon?"

"Of course I can," she crossed her arms. "So, take me to the first district."

"Did you know we were also zaiphon-users?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Call it a gut-feeling."

"You're a much cruder girl than you seem."

"That's rude."

"It's the truth."

A scowl slipped on Naomi's lips, "Enough."

"How did you learn? Were you taught or trained? Or, did you decide you didn't need to try to control what your birth gave you?"

"I told you I  _can_  control it!"

"Frau?" Teito appeared, walking over to the two while seeming concerned. "What's going on?"

With a sigh, the blonde rubbed the back of his neck, "This girl here is demanding we take her with us just because she can use zaiphon, despite not being able to control it."

"Of course not, she's only twelve. The fact that she was even able to catch up with us using it is…"

"Strange."

Tiny pale hands fisted at the girl's sides, she bit her lip with a glare before tears once again began to well up, "I…I just want to see my boyfriend."

**-**


	4. I Won't Leave!

"Aren't you a little young for a boyfriend anyway?" Frau scoffed with a skeptical brow.

"No, girls mature faster than boys, so I need an older gentleman as my partner," her words were sharp and guarded as though to preserve her fragile dignity that felt as though it was crumbling from the words of these males.

"'Older gentleman'?" Frau echoed curiously. "Just  _how old_  is this guy?"

"Around your age, maybe older."

At this, the blonde laughed, raising a hand over his mouth so as not to be too loud as he cackled, "That's a babysitter, not a lover."

_Slap!_

"How  _dare_  you  _insult_  me?! My love for him is  _real_!"

Sitting there, Frau felt the stinging on his left cheek, and quickly it was turning red, "Even so, a first love never lasts. And, he may not 'love' you like you feel for him."

"He  _does_! He made me who I am! If he didn't  _love_  me, then why would he spend the effort to do that?!"

"Maybe he's just a nice guy, or maybe he's a big enough jerk to waste some time with you while he was bored. With an age gap like that the relationship will go nowhere, especially when it's apparently a 'long-distance' one. Do your parents even know about him?"

"I told you. I don't  _have_  any parents."

"Look, kid, you're really trying my patience here. I'm doing my best to keep calm and you keep bugging me. If you don't stop and just go home obediently I'll-"

"What? You're going to try to fight a twelve year old girl? I don't see what's so wrong with me coming along. Do you have trust issues or something?"

The blonde man gritted the back of his teeth, standing up and making even Teito flinch at his movement. "Listen, kid, if you die out there, it won't be my problem, got it?"

"Frau?" Teito, in surprise, called to the bishop.

"So," Naomi's eyes widened, cheeks growing red as the most elated smile grew on her lips, "I can join you?!"

Walking around her and kneeling down to fix the fire once more, Frau practically growled, "In a sense. If something happens, you're on your own. Fend for yourself. You're only  _traveling_  with us. Nothing more."

"It's fine! I'll do whatever you want! Just…thank you!" the young girl fell to her knees, embracing the man from behind and burying her face into his back, making him stiffen.

"H-Hey!" he shouted, looking over his shoulder. "Let go! Quit it!"

Teito, the silent spectator of this dilemma, stood practically frozen, confused by the words that had been lashing back and forth, and the sudden anti-climatic ending to it all. The girl was smiling, hugging the bishop as he tried to pry her off. What was this? A spoiled brat that they happened to have come across, it seemed. A supposed orphan as she declared. Yet, she also stated that she had plenty of money on her. Teito…didn't know what to make of this situation. He felt movement against his ankle and when he looked down Mikage was there, sitting on his shoe in the snow and nuzzling into his leg, tiny wings twitching.

"Oh, Mikage," the brunette's brows furrowed in worry as he bent down to pick up his friend. The pink creature snuggling into Teito's chest, trembling. "Were you in the snow long? You're freezing!"

"I'm sorry!" Naomi gasped, cheeks flushed as she rushed over. "I think that was my fault. I might have buried him in the snow when I used my zaiphon earlier."

"That's why I said you should really learn how to control it," Frau murmured.

"I'll do it," Teito stated, gaining an odd look from the girl and the bishop simultaneously. "You have troubles, right? I'll help you learn how to control it better."

"Ah, well," Naomi huffed, crossing her arms. "I really don't need it. I'm just fine."

"Suit yourself," Frau sighed. "Teito, leave her be and get the bread out, I'm hungry."

Silently, Teito walked over to the blonde male, finally rekindling the fire. "Do we have enough right now?"

"We'll make do," the bishop stood, clapping the snow off his gloved hands. "Until we get into another town sometime tomorrow. Don't worry about it."

"Um, may I ask something?" Naomi took a seat on an empty lop-sided log.

Frau shrugged, holding a hand out, waiting for Teito to place a piece in it, "Shoot."

"I told you two why I wanted to go, but why are you two heading to the first district?"

The two males looked to each other, feeling a little unsettled by the question, but Frau, as always, took the lead. "Our reason is rather similar to yours," he stated, making eye-contact with the girl easily. "We're going to see someone."

"Is that so?" she hummed, clapping her hands together. "I suppose it's good when they say that it really is a small world, don't you think? Now, we can help each other."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Oh, but may I ask who you are going to see?"

"A relative," Teito answered before Frau could, gaining a slight look from the blonde that the brunette promptly ignored. "Or, rather, a relative of a friend of mine. My friend is ill, you see, and so we are going to inform his relative so that he can come see him."

"Oh my," Naomi placed her hands over her mouth, eyes widening, "is your friend fatally ill?"

"It doesn't seem so at the moment," Teito shook his head, putting on a grave face and pathetic smile. "But, the doctor who looked at him said it could go either way. So, just in case, we want to take this relative back with us."

"I see, then, I hope all goes well for you when we reach our destination."

"Thank you, and I hope things go well for you when it comes to finding that boyfriend of yours."

Frau snorted, "But, if you see a much older woman in his arms, don't come crying to us, got it?"

"Frau…" Teito glared; it really wasn't a good idea to start trouble with this girl after just settling her down.

However, the young orphan huffed, crossing her arms and stated smugly, "I'll have you crying to me when I introduce you to him, then you'll have to see that he is indeed faithful to me."

The bishop shrugged, before a "burupya~" sounded, Mikage having warmed up, jumped into the girl's lap and curled into a ball. "What's with the fur ball?" he queried with a raised brow.

"I don't know…" Teito answered simply, the slimmest trace of shock in his tone. "I mean, I can't imagine why he's so attached to you."

Naomi looked over to the boy and shook her head, "It's a mystery to me as well." She hesitantly placed a hand on the creature's head, petting him softly, slowly, "Usually animals stay away from me. This is the first time one has kept so close to me before."

"Interesting," Frau rubbed his chin in thought. "Maybe they sense that you're unbalanced?"

**-**


	5. Never Question

"Well, if that's the case," Teito added, "then tomorrow we can start practicing, Naomi."

"Not in the morning though," an annoyed finger pointed at the two youngsters. "First thing in the morning we're heading out. Got it?"

Naomi perked up, smiling, "Then let's stop at a town then. We'll go shopping for food supplies since all you have is this little bit of bread."

"Ah, I still feel a little bad that you have to pay for us, but thank you," Teito replied gratefully, making Naomi's smile grow.

"All right, all right," Frau stood, clapping his hands. "It's time that we get some rest."

"Oh, wait, Frau, Naomi doesn't have a bag or blanket for sleep."

At first, the blonde just wanted to shrug and claim that it was her own damn fault for following them unprepared when they told her to stay home in the first place. However, he knew that wasn't very "right" of him, and for some reason that "bishop" side of him was nagging at him, or rather the little voice in his head sounded like a rather disgruntled Castor. He sighed, "She can take mine."

"Eh?!" both the boy and girl rose their brows in wonder at the statement, looked to each other, then back at Frau, who suddenly felt the urge to punch something. Was he portrayed so horribly in their minds that it was so surprising that he would offer his bag?

"I'll just stay up and keep watch," he added, growling and rubbing his neck, feeling exhausted from the drama that encircled about this whole day. "You two just settle in and relax."

"Are you sure, Frau?" Teito inquired.

"I'm sure. Now, get to sleep."

* * *

For Frau, it was indeed a rather long long  _long_  night. It was cold, and he felt even colder watching the two youngsters curled up despite the weather and snow. The fire did little for him and through the night his bored and tired mind kept threatening to shut down and just sleep as well, but there was a feeling that Frau couldn't shake off. He felt as though something was wrong, something amiss, but there was nothing to back up this feeling, everything looked fine.

When the sun rose, his eyes were sore, burning as his head throbbed. He felt congested and agitated, especially when Teito and Naomi awoke with such a spring in their steps, as though the day was the most lovely thing they had seen in a long time. Mikage was bustling about, entertaining himself for the morning as he found the snow to be quite amusing, and Frau's hand twitched, feeling to bury the creature beneath the colorless substance.

"Thank you, Frau-san," Naomi smiled. "Because of you, I got a great night's sleep."

"I'm…just happy to hear that…" narrowed eyes stated exasperatedly.

Due to this mood, Frau was quick to rush the others into packing everything up and dismantling the firewood. He wanted to reach the nearest town as soon as he could and get something warm inside of him, and maybe get  _himself_  inside of a warm and toasty bed. However, there was yet, another problem. How were they going to transport Naomi to the first district?

"I'll just use my zaiphon like last time," she insisted.

"You can't," Teito rebutted. "We don't know how much further down the next town is. What if you use up too much of your energy?"

"Well, I don't see any other choice, Teito."

"Then, ride between Frau and me. It won't be too safe, so I'll ride in the back."

"Are you sure? I mean, what if you get hurt by falling off?"

"I've been trained well," the brunette assured her. "If I fall off, I'll figure out just what to do, no worries. But, I will have to ask that you hold onto Mikage for me. If I fall off, I don't want him coming down with me, you know?"

"I understand, and thank you again, both of you for letting me come along."

"You would have followed us all the way there, anyway," Frau sighed. "Until you got to the checkpoint then they would have had you turn around and get."

"Well, I thank you again, anyway."

Frau shrugged off the thanks and after everything was taken care of, the three squeezed as close to each other as they possibly could on the hawkzile; Mikage held tight within Naomi's coat, head barely sticking out, one ear popped up straight in curiosity. Frau gave one last glance back and around, keeping his eyes open for anything strange that he couldn't pinpoint, but with nothing else, he started up and the three set out in a flash. Naomi kept one hand tightly gripped to the side of Frau's coat, one hand clutching to her chest where Mikage was settled. Teito stretched around Naomi to cling onto Frau so as to add another barrier around the younger girl and his friend. It was an uncomfortable ride, and there were a few slip-ups that almost had Teito lost on the trail, but Frau's reflexes were quick and an arm would shoot back to keep hold of the boy's collar until he settled back behind their new charge.

By the time that the sun was high in the sky, perhaps sometime after noon, the three were finally met with a small town called Geheimwort. This town didn't seem as poverty-stricken as some of the others that Frau and Teito had come by, but it still wasn't the most high class, especially compared to the cities of the first district. But, at least the streets were clean and the majority of children seemed to be merely playing on them instead of sleeping on them. It wasn't hard for the trio to find an inn, paid for by Naomi with her large bag of currency that even had the inn-keeper suspicious. Teito waved it off, however, by saying that it was Frau's money and he had his "sister", Frau's "niece", keeping an eye on it because their "uncle" was one to spend it needlessly. The keeper chuckled, telling Teito that he was indeed a smart lad, where Frau was standing to the side, twitching brow and arms crossed, swearing to himself that the shorty would indeed get his just desserts for such a (handy) lie. They were given a room, one main key and a spare, and instructed on where to find it. Up the stairs, turn right, down the hall, make a left and five doors down to the right.

And, with that, once Teito placed the key inside the doorknob, turned it and opened it, in a flash, Frau kicked off his boots, threw off his excess outside clothing and slid under the covers, instantly falling asleep and making the younger two giggle. Mikage jumped out from Naomi's grip and pranced over to the bed, looking up and tilting his head to the side, finding it rather large and too high for him to jump up. He looked to Teito expectantly, and the brunette laughed, closing the door.

"Mikage, you want to go to sleep?" he asked, earning both ears to stand upright and he laughed again. Walking over to his friend, he scooped him up and placed him atop the giant bed, quickly skittering towards the headboard and stopping atop one of the fluffed pillows, circling and circling above it until he settled in and curled up, ears down and tiny eyes closing. "Night, Mikage," Teito whispered, smiling with a sparkling light in his eye that did not go unnoticed by the violet-haired child beside him.

"You really love him, don't you?" she smiled softly.

"Eh?" Teito rose a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Mikage," she gestured. "He's very special to you, isn't he?"

Red crept into Teito's cheeks, seeming a little flustered, "He's an old friend, and my first friend. My best friend, so he's…he's very dear to me."

"That sounds so nice," Naomi giggled. "I've never really had a best friend, other than perhaps my boyfriend's. We get along well and he compliments me a lot, but I always tell him that my heart belongs to only my other half."

"Eh, sounds…exciting…?" Teito gave a nervous smile. "How did you…meet your boyfriend, exactly? If he is all the way in the first district?"

"That's a secret," the girl replied, grinning. "All you have to know is that he made me who I am."

"So you've said…"

"But, would you say that Mikage made you who you are?"

Teito's eyes blinked at the thought, his mind mulling the idea in his head before he sighed, "In a way, he brought me back to what I was originally. I forgot who I was for a long, long, long time but I eventually slowly gained 'myself' back because of him. But, with the help of the others I'm becoming more and more the old me mixed with the new me. I'm…different but the same…"

"Teito, could I ask you something…?"

The brunette walked over to the edge of the bed, sitting at the foot of it and looked up at the girl as he started to remove his boots, "I suppose you can. I don't…have much to hide…to be honest…and if you need any help, I'm fully willing to do what I can."

"Well, it's more of a question concerning you."

Teito seemed uneasy, but he nodded, "All right…"

"If someone told you they could bring everything back to you, even if it came with a price, would you accept?" When the boy simply stared at her with no response, Naomi's brows furrowed as she softly called out, "Teito? Teito, are you all right?"

One blink, two blinks…

"Teito?"

"Ah!" As if finally pulled back into the common plane, it seemed realization donned upon Teito Klein. He looked to the blue-eyed female, appearing wide-eyed and innocent as if she hadn't just asked him the very question that had haunted him the last two nights. "Sorry, why…do you ask?" he half-choked, trying to regain himself and remain ignorant of his rapidly beating heart.

Tilting her head in thought, Naomi hummed a bit with a rather blank expression, "I suppose you just seem the type who has lost quite a bit."

At that thought, Teito grit the back of his teeth, blood pounding in his ears, "Wha-What?! How do you find yourself able to decide that about someone you don't really know?!"

"It's not a decision," she replied firmly. "It's an observation." She looked over her shoulder at Mikage who was still soundly curled asleep atop his pillow on the rented bed. "I can tell by watching you, you've lost Mikage once already, haven't you?"

Teito's words caught in his throat before suddenly slipping out all at once, "H-How…You can't…That's not…!"

"Yes or no, Teito?"

Her stubbornness pushed on, and the brunette paused, as if reassessing her words. Was it normal to explain to someone that your best friend died for you and then was reincarnated into a tiny pink dragon? Though, all she asked for was a yes or no, he didn't have to explain… "Yes, I have…"

"It's easy to tell," Naomi half-sighed.

Teito was quick to bite back, "How?"

"Your protectiveness over him. You don't want to lose him again."

Crossing his arms, the young man huffed, "No one would want to lose a friend."

"Your relationship is far more intimate than that of an owner and pet."

"That's because Mikage's a  _friend_!  _Not_  a pet!"

"Who else have you lost?"

"That's none of your business."

Her arms hid behind her, fingers intertwining with each other as she spoke softly, "I have no parents. That was the truth. I haven't known a single person who I could think of as my life-giver. Save for the man who I love more than anything." Her eyes flickered to the ground momentarily, "To be honest…I don't remember much. I don't remember what my childhood was like, or if I ever had one. I don't remember how I even lived before you chased me down yesterday. I  _know_  my name is Naomi, but that was the name  _he_  always called me. I remember him, I remember leaving the first district with his best friend to go to that town, but even though I was told it was my home…I didn't remember it…"

"You…have amnesia?" Teito inquired without a single thought as to whether or not that could be considered insensitive, but it seemed as though it didn't quite affect the girl in question.

"No," she shook her head. "There's  _nothing_   _there_. I'm…a little scared…"

"Is that also why you're going to the first district?"

"I need to ask him if he's hiding something from me. I hate the thought, in fact I can't stand it, but…if anyone would know what I don't, it would be him."

"I see…"

There was a silence between them, yet it wasn't uncomfortable. As though both of them needed to just take a step back not just from the conversation or each other, but from everything, and this was the perfect moment to do it.

It wasn't until Mikage stirred, purring in his sleep and catching the two children's attention that either of them made a noise: Laughter.

"He's cute," Naomi's words were soft and warm, cheeks flushed. "I imagine he's always been that way."

"Pfft," Teito snorted. "He's definitely…more like how he is on the inside on the outside than before."

"Before…you lost him?"

Hesitantly, Teito nodded, "Yeah. I mean…even on the outside, he was a goof. I mean, he was friendly, almost to the point that it was annoying. In fact, when we first met, I tried my best to avoid him, but he kept to me. On the inside, he was always very kind, always concerned and he…he put me first…always…put me first…" The brunette paused, thinking back on the Mikage of before, the human Mikage. The blonde boy with the scar on his cheek, taller than him and one of the best sparring partners he could have asked for.

"Teito?"

The young man shook his head, "It probably would have been best that he and I never met. I think this sometimes, I truly do…Even though he's here with me now…even though I'm happy with him now…it's still…nothing can redeem the things I've done to him…"

A soft hand placed itself upon Teito's shoulder, "You must know that he's forgiven you, silly. He came back to you, didn't he? He seems to love you just as much now as he did before. I've never seen anyone happier."

Teito smiled. He knew that Mikage never blamed him to begin with, that just wasn't Mikage. It was only himself, and perhaps that was selfish to think that way. But, at the same time, perhaps if their roles were reversed, Mikage may have felt the same way. Mikage was so selfless, would he feel that it was his fault that Teito would have lost his body and changed? Then, what would that mean of Teito himself if he was feeling similar emotions as Mikage would? Or, was it just that was what friends did?

**To Be Continued...!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all for the year! Thank you for joining me in this fan fiction, and I hope that next year I can produce better and longer chapters worthy for you guys! Thanks so much, and Happy Holidays!  
> -MultiVerSonalityDisorder


End file.
